Perampanel, (3-(2-cyanophenyl)-5-(2-pyridyl)-1-phenyl-1,2-dihydropyridin-2-one, has the following chemical structure:

Perampanel, also referred herein as “Compound Ia”, or “Ia”, is a selective antagonist for the AMPA subtype of ionotropic glutamate receptors. It is developed by Eisai Co. under the trade name Fycompa®, for the treatment of epilepsy and diabetic neuropathy.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,949,571 (also referred to herein as “the '571 patent”) describes Perampanel and a process for preparing it from a di-substituted pyridine. The process comprises eight synthetic steps, from which two steps require the use of metal catalyst.
The process can be illustrated by the following scheme 1.

The '571 patent also describes an alternative process for preparing Perampanel derivatives, from a 2-amino-5-bromopyridine. The process comprises six synthetic steps and also comprises the use of metal catalyst. The process can be illustrated by the following scheme 2:

U.S. Pat. No. 8,304,548 (also referred to herein as “the '548 patent”) describes another process for preparing Perampanel. The process is based on the eight step synthesis described in the '571 patent (scheme 1), however it doesn't utilize methyl protection of the oxygen in the 5′-bromo-6′-methoxy-2,3′-bipyridine intermediate prior to the coupling with the benzonitrile moiety, and its later removal. The process, which comprises six synthetic steps and the use of metal catalyst, can be illustrated by the following scheme 3.

US 2010/0016603, U.S. Pat. No. 7,524,967 and US 2013/0109862 (now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,742,118) describe several processes for preparing the [2,3′-bipyridin]-6′(1′H)-one intermediate.
WO 2014/023576 describes the synthesis of alternative cyanophenylboronic intermediates that can be used in the above described processes for preparation of Perampanel.
The above described processes require many reaction steps and provide Perampanel in pure yield.
There is a need in the art to provide an efficient process, which provides Perampanel in high yield and quality, and that can be utilized in industrial scale.